Virginia Home Grown
How to Make Herbal Tea
Clip: Season 26 Episode 5 | 5m 39sVideo has Closed Captions
Relax with a refreshing herb infused beverage after a day in the garden
Shana Williams shows Peggy Singlemann how to make simple gift bags of herbal tea ingredients that she uses to thank the volunteers that work in her community garden. Featured on VHG episode 2605, July 2026.
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Virginia Home Grown is a local public television program presented by VPM
Virginia Home Grown
How to Make Herbal Tea
Clip: Season 26 Episode 5 | 5m 39sVideo has Closed Captions
Shana Williams shows Peggy Singlemann how to make simple gift bags of herbal tea ingredients that she uses to thank the volunteers that work in her community garden. Featured on VHG episode 2605, July 2026.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship>>The garden is growing more than food.
It is nurturing everyone involved as it brings neighbors from multiple generations together.
And Shana, you've got some things that bring people together too.
So what do we have here?
>>So basically when we have so many people come out to the farm, we like to give them some kinds of gifts.
So what we have right now is some mint tea and also some hibiscus.
I love tea.
>>So let's get started, Peggy.
>>Yes, let's get started.
>>So before we do any of our demonstration, I'm gonna take some peppermint, some mountain mint, and a little lemon balm, crush it together just to get some of the oils out.
>>It is that simple.
>>Drop that in there.
>>It is just that simple.
A little bit of orange peel.
Hey, hibiscus makes things taste good.
Not everybody likes it- >>It is pretty.
>>But it is pretty.
So I'm gonna drop that in there, add a little hot water.
But you can also use diffusers.
You can use all different types of things, whatever that floats your boat that works for you, you know?
Typically, I would cover that up, allow those oils to be trapped in there and everything else.
I'm just making us just a little bit while we take this demonstration.
>>Fantastic.
>>Now, Peggy, what we have in front of us, we create little bags for people in the garden.
>>Okay.
>>Yes.
So we have, as I mentioned before, we have some peppermint here.
We have some mountain mint and some lemon balm.
Take some oranges, dry them, or just peel oranges and allow those peelings to completely dry.
>>And how do you dry them?
>>Basically, I'll cut them, plastic bins, put them upright in it, allow it to dry in a warm or in a room where it has a ceiling fan going.
Or I'll also take 'em up into my attic, put 'em on a piece of plastic.
It's hot up there.
Within two to three days- >>They're dry.
>>They're completely dry, yes.
And also in vases around the house.
>>Yes, simplest way.
>>You know, that works too.
Exactly.
It works really well.
>>Just don't add water.
>>Don't add water.
(Peggy laughs) Make sure they're completely dry before you put 'em in a container.
Sometimes, if you notice over there, I'll take 'em, and I'll grind them up completely, do some of my blends.
>>Oh, yeah.
>>And then it's easily accessible.
I can get it anytime I want.
But Peggy, let's dig in.
Let's make some of these for some people.
>>Super.
>>So we have our bags.
What I'm gonna do is go ahead.
I like to give people inside their little baggy some of these, which are the tea bags, exactly.
We'll put a label, tell them exactly what's going on inside of their bags so they can mix and match or just use one type of tea, whichever they prefer.
But so what we're first gonna do, Peggy, is this again is our peppermint.
We got our mountain mint.
We'll take sections of it.
So we'll just simply- >>And this is the lemon balm.
I'm gonna start with the lemon balm.
>>So we'll take sections of it like this.
I just break off parts.
I prefer people to actually see what everything is versus breaking it all down, and they can't understand possibly what's going on.
So we'll take some of here, some of our mountain mint, break that off, take some of our lemon balm, and then make sure you get at least one orange slice or orange peel.
>>Would you like that?
>>Thank you.
And I'm also, because I like things to look pretty, I'll put a orange slice in there as well.
So those are our contents, and that will go into one bag just like that for someone.
But I'll also do a different type, which is adding some hibiscus just like that.
So if you would like some, and you don't have to put that in your bag.
But again, we like to label things for everyone.
So, close that up.
It is simple as anything.
Take this bag.
We'll put our labels inside of it.
We'll put our little tea bags.
I like to just grab everything, shove it inside of the bag.
It doesn't have to be perfect because the whole objective is for people to really see what they have.
Put the orange slices in there.
>>Oh, this is nice.
>>It is cute, but you see, this is kind of weak.
I prefer giving people abundance, you know, because I really want you to be able to have tea at various times.
>>So you really fill the bag.
>>I really fill the bag up a lot.
>>I did not.
(laughs) >>I did not for this demonstration either.
But one of the things that I like to do for people is provide them with something that they can take away with, encourage them to start growing their own mint, and just uplift their spirits, you know?
It's a special thank-you coming from the garden.
>>Yes.
>>We also do something as well as we provide seasoning salts.
>>Okay.
>>And that's just using dried herbs and everything that comes from the garden.
>>And just pulverizing it with the salt?
>>Yeah, we'll just dry it just like we'll dry the mint, and then we'll just add different seasonings like thyme, rosemary, or whatever else and mix it up there together.
>>Sounds great, Shana.
Is that tea ready for us?
>>You know what?
Typically, it takes five to seven minutes to steep, but let's see.
>>Let's see.
Looks good.
>>Now, one thing that we have to realize is that our mint, when you mix it, oh gosh, lemon balm is nice and cool.
The hibiscus adds that color and tartness, and then our peppermint, smooth and mild.
>>Thank you, Shana, and now we can enjoy tea after time in the garden.
>>Cheers.
>>Cheers.
Oh, that's tasty.
>>That's good.
>>Yes.
And no sugar added.
>>No sugar added.
Fantastic.
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